Standard Singaporean Mandarin

Standard Singaporean Mandarin (simplified Chinese: 新加坡标准华语; traditional Chinese: 新加坡標準華語; pinyin: Xīnjiāpō Biāozhǔn Huáyǔ) is the standard form of Mandarin used in Singapore.. It is the Mandarin used in all official Chinese media including all television programs on Channel 8 and Channel U, various radio stations, as well as in Chinese lessons in all Singapore government schools. The written form of Chinese used in Singapore is also based on this standard. The Standard Singaporean Mandarin is also the register of Mandarin used by the Chinese elites of Singapore and is easily distinguishable from the Colloquial Singaporean Mandarin spoken by the general populace.

In terms of phonology, vocabulary and grammar, the Standard Singaporean Mandarin is generally similar to Putonghua (Standard Mainland Mandarin). Any small differences will only appear in the use of different vocabulary.

History

Mandarin (a northern Chinese language) has been used as a lingua franca in Singapore alongside Hokkien (a southeastern Chinese language) for many decades after the Second World War. Before the standardisation of Singaporean Mandarin in the year 1979, Mandarin was largely used in its colloquial form which is based on the Beijing speech, with infusions from various southern Non-Mandarin Chinese languages such as Hokkien, Teochew, Cantonese, Hainanese as well as Hakka. This colloquial form of Mandarin served as a bridge between speakers of various mutually unintelligible southern Chinese languages. Mandarin was also the language of instruction in the now defunct Chinese-medium schools and education system. The use of Mandarin language in the Chinese-medium schools led to the language being spoken mainly by the Chinese-educated or Chinese elites in Singapore.

After Prime Minister Lee Kuan Yew announced and kickstart the Speak Mandarin Campaign in 1979, the Promote Mandarin Council started research on Mandarin standardisation based on case studies in Mainland China and Taiwan.

Differences between Standard Singaporean Mandarin and Colloquial Singaporean Mandarin

Major differences between Standard Singaporean Mandarin and Colloquial Singaporean Mandarin lie in their linguistic features. Standard Singaporean Mandarin uses standard Mandarin vocabulary and grammar which are very similar to that of the Beijing standard (Putonghua), both spoken and written. Colloquial Singaporean Mandarin, though based on Standard Mandarin, is often mixed with loan words and syntax from other Chinese dialects (especially southern Chinese dialects), and to a lesser extend, Malay and English. This is due to the multilingual nature of Singaporean families and society. There are also often cases when Singaporeans (due to their poorer command of Mandarin) find it hard to find the Mandarin vocabulary for a certain idea , and thus have to use loan words from other languages to describe those ideas.

The term "rojak" (a Malay food used for describing "mixture") is most appropriate in describing colloquial Singaporean Mandarin. Colloquial Singaporean Mandarin is the equivalent of Singlish in the Mandarin speaking world of Singapore. The word "Singdarin" has been used to name the Colloquial Singaporean Mandarin.

Standard Singaporean Mandarin also differs from colloquial Singaporean Mandarin in terms of vocabulary, grammar and pronunciation. This is because not all Singaporean Chinese speak Mandarin at home. Some could be speaking other Non-Mandarin Chinese languages or English most of the time and have less exposure to Standard Mandarin. All these factors have influenced the way in which colloquial Singaporean Mandarin is formed.

The below table of phrases highlights the differences.

Standard Singaporean Mandarin	Colloquial Singaporean Mandarin	Definition	Notes
就是说嘛！jiù shì shuō ma	就是说囉！ jiù shì shuō lor	That's what I'm saying	Instead of using the Mandarin exclamatory final particle 嘛 ma, colloquial Singaporean Mandarin uses a loan exclamatory final particle 囉 lor from Cantonese. This is similar to how Singlish is used.
为什么？ wèi shén me	做莫？ zuò mò	Why？/ Doing what?	originates from Cantonese "zou me 做咩".
不是这样子的！ bú shì zhè yàng zǐ de	不是这样子的咧! bú shì zhè yàng zǐ de leh	It's not like this!	A loan exclamatory final particle 咧 leh from Hokkien is added to colloquial Singaporean Mandarin. This is similar to how Singlish is used
这是什么? zhè shì shì me	什么来的? shěn mè lái dè	What is this?	originates from Hokkien "sia mi lai e 啥物來的".
我没有做功课才被骂啊！ wǒ méi zuò gōng kè cái bèi mà a	我没有做功课then被骂囉！ wǒ méi zuò gōng kè then bèi mà lor	It is only due to the fact that I did not do my homework that I was scolded.	Standard Singaporean Mandarin uses pure Mandarin words. Colloquial Singaporean Mandarin on the hand uses loan words from other languages. The English loan word "then" is commonly used in place of Mandarin word 才 in colloquial Singaporean Mandarin. Again, a loan exclamatory final particle 囉 lor from Cantonese is used instead of Mandarin exclamatory final particle 啊 a. The English loan word 'then' is also often used to replace the Mandarin word 然后 rán hòu in colloquial Singaporean Mandarin.

Differences between Standard Singaporean Mandarin and other forms of Standard Mandarin

Main article: Regional differences in the Chinese language

Phonology Differences

Minor differences occur between the phonology (tones) of Standard Singaporean Mandarin and other forms of Standard Mandarin.

Chinese Character	Definition	Singapore	Mainland China	Taiwan	Notes
休息	Take a rest	xiūxí	xiūxi	xiūxí	The character 息 is pronounced as 2nd tone in Standard Singaporean Mandarin, similar to that in Taiwan. In Mainland China, 息 is pronounced as a light (neutral) tone (simplified Chinese: 轻声; traditional Chinese: 輕聲; pinyin: qīng shēng) instead.
垃圾	Rubbish	lājī	lājī	lèsè	The pronunciation for 垃圾 is the same in Singapore and Mainland China. But in Taiwan, it has maintained the older pronunciation before 1949, which was influenced by Wu-Chinese dialect.
角色	Role	juésè	juésè	jiǎosè/juésè	The pronunciation for 角色 is the same in Singapore and Mainland China. But in Taiwan, it has maintained the older pronunciation jiǎosè before 1949. However, both juésè and jiǎosè can be interchangeably used in the Chinese-speaking world.
包括	Include	bāokuò	bāokuò	bāokuā/bāokuò	The pronunciation for 包括 is the same in Singapore and Mainland China. But in Taiwan, the older pronunciation of "kuā" for 括 before 1949 continued to be used, alongside the modern pronunciation of "kuò".

Lexicon Differences

There are differences in the use of different lexicon (vocabulary) in Standard Singaporean Mandarin as compared to other forms of Standard Mandarin. Standard Singaporean Mandarin has its own unique proprietary vocabulary, which differs from Standard Mandarin used in Mainland China and Taiwan. This is due to a different political, cultural and linguistic environment in Singapore. The Dictionary of Contemporary Singaporean Mandarin Vocabulary 《时代新加坡特有词语词典》 edited by Wang Huidi 汪惠迪 listed 1560 uniquely local Singaporean Mandarin words , which are not used in Mainland China or Taiwan.

Ever since the 1980s, Standard Singaporean Mandarin has been inclining itself more towards Standard Mainland Mandarin. As such, lexicon similarity between Standard Singaporean Mandarin and Standard Mainland Mandarin has reached almost 90% .

A table comparing standard phrases and differences in the lexicon used in Singapore, Mainland China and Taiwan is illustrated below.

Singapore	Mainland China	Taiwan	Definition
我想吃快熟面。	我想吃方便面。	我想吃速食麵。	I wish to eat instant noodle.
我要搭德士 。	我要搭出租车 。	我要搭計程車。	I want to take a taxi.
在部署突击行动时，最重要的是要确保公众以及有关单位内任何人士的安全。	在部署突击行动时，最重要的是要确保公众以及有关单位内所有人士的安全。	在部署突擊行動時，最重要的是要確保公衆及相關單位內所有人士的安全。	In deploying the raid, the most important thing is to ensure the safety of anyone in the public and associated units.

See also

• Singaporean Mandarin
• Colloquial Singaporean Mandarin
• Standard Malaysian Mandarin
• Colloquial Malaysian Mandarin
• Standard Chinese

References

• 漢典 (Handian Dictionary)
• 教育部重編國語辭典修訂本 （Dictionary of Mandarin from Ministry of Education, R.O.C.)